United Utilities pull plug on hosepipe ban

United Utilities are set to introduce a hosepipe ban on August 5

Residents of Oldham can use their hosepipes next week.

United Utilities has called off the ban, which was due to come into force over the weekend.

They say it’s down to cooler temperatures and recent rainfall.

The company says demand for water has eased – and thanked customers for water-saving efforts, which have meant no restrictions are needed.

The ban had been due to start on Sunday.

Dr Martin Padley, our Water Services Director, said: “We would like to thank all of our customers who have helped in recent weeks by saving water wherever they can around the home and in the garden. 

“Our leakage teams are working 24 hours a day to find and repair as many leaks as possible and we have been moving water around our network.

"We have also been making operational interventions such as installation of new pumping stations, pumping between reservoirs, bringing ground water sources into use and prioritising maintenance to help ensure supplies have not been interrupted during the prolonged hot spell.

“Given the improved position, helped by recent rainfall, we do not want to inconvenience customers unnecessarily at this time.

"However, the long range forecast from the Met Office is one of relatively dry weather into the autumn, so future restrictions are still a possibility if more rain doesn’t arrive. 

“In the meantime, we are continuing to step up our own response and over the coming weeks you will see our teams out and about, bringing additional water supplies on line and fixing even more leaks. 

"We are working closely with the Environment Agency in monitoring the water resources situation and we still urge our customers to please help us by using water wisely where they can.”

Robert Light, Northern Chair for the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Consumers deserve great credit for the way they’ve responded to the call to use water wisely and we welcome United Utilities’ decision not to press ahead with restrictions and the inconvenience this would have caused households – but we’re not out of the woods yet.

“With more hot weather forecast, we’d encourage consumers to keep using water wisely and there should be no let up from United Utilities in its efforts to reduce the amount of water being wasted through leaks.”